Heating apparatus suitable for use in shoemaking



Feb. 8, 1938. w. N. BRAY 2,107,365

HEATING APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR USE IN SHOEMAKING Filed Feb. 11. 1935 41; 1: a 7 ll 4? r. 4.5

2 B Zinnentor Patented Feb. 8, 1938 HEATING APPARATUS SUITABLE FOR USE IN SHOEMAKING William Neil Bray, Leicester, England, aseignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Paterson, N. .L, a corporation of New Jersey Application February 11, 1935, Serial No. 5,898

In Great Britain April 21, 1934 3 Claims. (01. 126-110 The present invention is concerned with improvements in heating apparatus suitable for use in shoemaking. In Letters Patent of the United States, No. 1,896,017, Sandt, January 31, 1933, is

l disclosed a method of removing folds, wrinkles or other unevenness in shoe-material which consists in blowing a current of air electrically heated on the part to be smoothed. A gas-heated apparatus presents a number of advantages over one electrically heated, particularly as to cost of operation and ease of attainment of a sufliciently high temperature. It is an important object of the present invention to provide an improved gasheated apparatus adapted for such uses as that just indicated. My apparatus excels in being capable of operating satisfactorily on the gas-suppiles of diverse characteristics available at different factories; in being capable of ready control as regards the temperature and volume of the delivered stream of heated air, without interfering with the proper combustion of the gas in the apparatus; in showing no tendency, when properly handled, to generate carbon-monoxide or other dangerous gas in any noxious quantity;

in ready ignition; in functioning quietly; and in resistance to rupture of a constituent element which is heated to a high degree.

The features .of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following de- 50 scription, in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, of an illustrative embodiment.

In said drawing;

Fig. l is a side elevation, partly in section, of said illustrative embodiment, which takes the form of a portable tool;

Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken along the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 shows in perspective the grid shown in Figs. 1 and 2; and

n Fig. 4 shows a modified form of grid.

The tool comprises a hand-grip l, whereby it i can readily be manipulated by the operator to direct the heated air-stream generated by the tool to the desired portion of the work. Gas is is supplied to the tool through a flexible tube or conduit 3 which joins a metal tube or conduit 5 passing through the hand-grip. The tube 5, after emerging from the hand-grip, bends to the right,

as seen in Fig. 1, and then upwardly to join an i0 apertured block I in which is located a pin-valve 9 controllable by a screw II. A leaf-spring l3 may bear against the head of the screw to prevent it being accidentally turned out of adjusted position. At the left of the block there is a nipple i5 screw-threaded in a central bore in a cap l5,itself screw-threaded into a cylindrical casing l1. Gas delivered by the flexible tube 3 therefore has access, at a. controllable rate, into the interior of the casing l1 through this inlet member or cap l5. Located in the casing between a flange l9 thereon and, the cap i5 is a tubular member 2| formedof steatite, commonly called soapstone, or other refractory material, the interior of which member constitutesa combustion-chamber. The member M is positioned coaxially with the easing by overlapping an inwardly directed flange 23 on the cap l5. Its left end-portion is recessed somewhat to receive a grid of similar refractory material and also the end-portion of a second alined tubular refractory member 21 of slightly less diameter, which furnishes within it an airheating chamber. The grid provides a perforated partition between the combustion-chamber of the member 2| and heating-chamber of the member 21 and may be a perforated disk 25, as shown in Fig. 4, or a disk A, as shown in Fig. 3, the construction of which is later described. The lefthand end-portion of the casing II has a frustoconical outlet member or nozzle 29 screw-threaded thereon. A washer 3| located between the easing and the-nozzle serves, when held in position by the nozzle 29, to support-and to position the member 21 coaxially of the casing.

The members 2| and 21 are both of less external diameter than the corresponding internal diameters of the portions of the casing l'l adjacent thereto, and thus two annular chambers 33 and 35, separated by. theflange l9, are formed between the member and the casing. Provision is made for supplying air in separately controllable amounts to these-chambers. Air under pressure is delivered through a flexible tube or conduit 31 to a' metal tubeor conduit 39 which passes through the hand-grip i adjacent the tube 5 and leads to a bore in a block ll integral with the casing ii. The bore in the block I forks into two separate passages or conduits I3, 45, the first leading to the chamber 33 and the second to the chamber 35. Valves 41, 49 are located respectively in the passages 43 and 45 and are readilyturned, on application of a screw-driver to slots in heads thereof, to control the flow of air along the passages. The member 2| has a plurality of holes 5| and the member 21 a plurality of similar holes 53, so that air from the chambers 33 and 35 may pass into the interior of the members. The grid 25 has a large number of holes 55 therethrough while the grid A has slots.

. When the tool is in use, the interiorof the memarate chambers is an important feature of the invention. It is desirable for the proper operation ofthetoolinthesmoothingofahoe-partsthata' substantialstreamofheatedairshouldissue from thenoasleilontheparttobetreated. were thequantity of airnecessarytocauseastream ofthe desiredvolumetoissuefromthetoolto be supplied directly to thecombustion-chamber,- this air would frequentlybe in eacess-of the amount required toinsure the bestcombustion of the gas. It would therefore have a tendency, on account of the rapidity with which it would pass through the combustion-chamber, to carry out of the tool gas which had not been completely burned and therefore containing carbon-monoxide, the emission of which would.of course, be highly undesirable. With the arrangement illustrated, only a portion of the air supplied to thetoolisdirectedtotheactualcombustionchamber. This amount can be adjusted by setting the valve 41 so that very eillcient and complete combustion of the gas takes place in such combustion-chamber, without tendency for un- .ings therein. Air which has been delivered throughthepassagellintothechamberfl passesthroughtheholesllintotheinteriorof thememberllandtherejoinstheheatedstream coming out through the grid openings and is heated thereby. The amount of this air is controlled by adjustment of the valve I. and will be in quantity sufllcient to insure that an adequate stream issues from the tool. It will be obvious that the larger the amount of air supplied through the passage I, the cooler will be the stream issuing from the tool. The valve ll therefore provides a reaw means for controlling the temperature of the issuing stream without interfering with the eflicient combustion of the gas in the interior of the member Ii. Since the heated members II and l. are aurroundedby air delivered through the passages 48 and ti, overheating of the casing I1 is avoided.

Ordinary gas for burning available in different localities presents considerable variations in constitution. Such variations are apt to cause difficulties; in that a gas-burning apparatus which will function satisfactorily using one gas-supply may give trouble when gas from another supply is used. In the illustrated tool, however, it has been found an easy matter by adjusting the valves 9 and 41, respectively controlling the amount of gas and air delivered to the combustion-chamber II, toio relate the delivered quantities of gas and air to each other that a satisfactorily combustible mixture is obtainedin the case of all ordinary gas-supplies. The illustrated tool is readily lighted at the open end of the nossie 20 when the gasand air-s ppl es are turned on;

and it presents another advantage, in that. when harmfulstressessetupinitandwhichtendto cause heating or cooling. In generalshapethegridisdisk-likebutismadeup of a plurality of narrow elements, which, being individually of small cross-sectional area, supported. only at one end and free to move independently of one another at the opposite end. are unlikely to have substantial stresses set up in them on heating or cooling and consequently are little likely to fracture on this account.

Specifically, the grid, which is molded from one 1 piece, comprises two narrowmain armsB,Barrangedatrlghtanglesintheformofacrols jolnedonlyatthecenter. Eachofthefourarms ofthecrossthusformedhasaseriesofthin blades C extending at equal intervals at right 1 angles therefrom with slots formed between them. Asshown inl 'ig. 3,.these blades are four innumberfor eacharmofthecrosaandextend in a counterclockwise direction from their arms parallel to the adjacent arm. The corresponding bladesofeacharmareofequallengthandhave their end portions rounded, so that the grid as a whole is circular in peripheral shape.

There may be provided for the convenience of the operator using the tool, a metal stand having an extended hood-portion upon which the lighted toolmaybeplacedwhen notactuallyinuae. which hood-portion serves to receive the hot streamissuingfrcmthetooltopreventit from causing damage or iniury.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent oi the United States is:

Llncomhinatiomacasingprovided withan internal flangaacapclosinganendofthecasilm and having an internal flange, a tubular member supported by the cap-flange, a second tubular member communicating with the first and supported by the casing-flange in spaced relation to said casing, the two members overlapping in contact at their adjacent ends. a Perforated partition lying within 'one member and abutflng against the end of the other member, and means forsupplyinggasandairtotheinterior ofone member and air to the interior of the other member.

2. In combination, a casing, a cap closing an end of the casing, two perforated tubular 'members situated in alinement within the casing, an end of one member being supported by the cap and the other member being supported by the casing, partitions between the members and the casing forming closed spaces around each memher, a perforated partition interposed between the members, and means for supplying gas and air to 1 the casing and spaced therefrom to provide air conduits, a perforated partition held in place between the adjacent ends of the members, two separate means each including one of the said conduits for supplying gas and air within one member, and for supplying air within the other member, and means for independently regulating 5 the flow of air therein.

WILLIAM NEIL BRAY. 

